God Born
by Eggbert 3000
Summary: Gin felt that if this was life's next grand adventure, it was surely a cop out.  AU Crossover, Post-Winter War in Bleach and Pre-Series in One Piece
1. Root

**A/N:** I own nothing... and yes, I'm a horrible person that won't ever finish a story. I apologize for existing... (also, little crossover concepts used from other series.)

**God Born**

**Chapter One: **Root

A world of darkness, quite different from the pristine white walls of Hueco Mundo or Soul Society, was what he woke to. A world of nothing, absent of everything... he immediately got that kind of feeling from it. This situation was kind of ironic, actually, once he thought about it. Beyond life was death, but what was beyond death? He'd never stopped to ponder it before, because while he had planned so much, for so long... his death by Aizen's hand had not been part of the final strategy. Gin was a master schemer and a sly manipulator, but in the end he had fallen tragically short by one miscalculation. Who would've thought the Hougyoku was sentient?

_At the very least,_ he sighed mentally, _Ah would've liked ta been killed by Rangiku_. That had been the picture perfect ending of his now ruined grand plan. He'd kill Aizen, pretend to claim the Hougyoku for himself, act as if he had been waiting to surpass Aizen this whole time as ruler of the universe, and then let himself die by her hand. But, suddenly remembering that look in the substitute reaper's eyes, Gin added silently, _Or Ichigo._

The silver haired man's musings were cut short by a strange, sucking sensation. There was no sound or movement in that world of nothingness, just an uncomfortable feeling in the gut that suddenly appeared without warning. Like the swaying coils of a snake, that pulling numbness seized him mercilessly and dragged him into a piercing light; a painful, stabbing white which flared out from a hole in the dark emptiness of the world.

Gin's lips curled into the beginnings of a tired smirk as he felt his spirit being dragged through.

"I'm going ahead, Rangiku. Bye bye.."

* * *

><p><em>"If you were to turn into a snake tomorrow and begin devouring humans... and from that same mouth you started devouring humans, you cried out to me 'I love you'... would I still be able to say 'I love you' the same way I do today?"<em>

Salt. Birds. Water. Those three things assaulted his mind as he slowly regained consciousness, lying on a bed of sand with a dry, bitter mouth, his heart pounding. That taunting memory sequence spluttered to a stop when he tried to heave himself up into a sitting position, the sudden movement triggering the return of his senses, all of which left him gasping and convulsing. His fingers scrabbled for a hold in the rough, wet sand, twitching like thin white spider's legs. For an old soul like him, it was almost too much. He was too used to death, too used to feeling nothing. To feel so... so _alive_ was incredible, overwhelming, and at the same time terrifying and cruel. It was something he had never expected to experience. Like a dense fog had lifted, his entire being took a shuddering breath, deeply and clearly.

He was... alive?

The sudden solidness and warmth of his own body began to register within him. His eyes snapped wide open in shock, bright and pale sky blue of color, and he stared almost uncomprehendingly at what he saw. A toasted yellow grainy earth meeting a deep, green-tinted azure expanse of water, covered by a lighter, white powdered blue heaven. It would've been a beautiful sight to a man that wanted to live.

_If this is paradise, Ah think Ah'll be wantin' ma money back right about now, _thought Gin, narrowing his eyes back to their normal slitted state. He slumped, exhausted and emotionally drained, back onto the warm sand and curled into himself. His new flesh body hurt, his aching soul hurt, his heart hurt... the only solace he could find was the familiar feeling of his faithful wakizashi. He had a strangle hold on Shinso's worn faded steel-blue grip, and held it close to his chest like one would a baby or a treasure. The wicked edge of its steel blade reflected the afternoon sun, and that white gleam was a beautiful reassurance. One that was, unfortunately, not long lived. The silver haired man immediately realized something was amiss with his weaponized other half. It was... bigger...? Normally, this wouldn't have been a pressing problem because he could easily manipulate Shinso's length, but the fact was... even the hilt was larger. His hands did not grip it as firmly and completely as usual... rather, when holding his wakizashi, his fingers and thumb didn't touch, even when stretched! It was like his fingers were shorter, and his palm smaller.

Gin felt a cold dread settle into his chest, and he quickly turned over onto his belly, using the feeble strength of his arms and upper body to haul himself closer to the sea-green waters of the ocean shore. His hands plunged into salt water and a blast of it splashed into his face. He shook the extra droplets away and waited for the water to partially settle, his reflection soon confirming his latest fear. The image that stared back was of an extremely scrawny and pallid young boy no older than nine, with a short tousled mop of silver-white hair. The boy wore an old, worn down dark blue yukata, with a white chain design on the left side and a light brown men's obi. That boy... was him. A thoroughly de-aged him, wearing his old pre-shinigami outfit. This latest discovery was the last straw, and thus Gin willingly succumbed to the inky comforts of a much needed rest. He drifted off to sleep right then and there, half submerged in sea water.

Unbeknownst to him however, a few minutes later, two figures found him on the beach, resolutely gripping Shinso above the waves. They stopped near his floating body, casting long shadows onto the shifting sands and conversing quietly with each other. They looked nearly identical, except one wore red and the other blue, and their expressions and mannerisms were slightly different. The blue clad one seemed to possess a calmer disposition.

"What is a boy doing here? This one thinks he looks very ragged," the first figure commented.

"Says I, he might have fallen off a ship and drifted here," the second one hypothesized. "See, he has silver hair.. What an unusual color, so shiny and beautiful.. No one here has that chrome-like shade, says I."

"And look at that sword of his! What an incredible blade... This one has never seen anything like it."

"Such a masterpiece.. and he is cradling it so tightly. It must mean something to him, says I."

"This one wants to take him, and his precious wakizashi, back to the house. He needs treatment, that he does."

"Says I, so we shall."


	2. Root II

**A/N:** I do not own One Piece or Bleach. This is purely for my own entertainment.

**God Born**

**Chapter Two: **Root II

Gin suddenly hurled himself up from his sleeping position, his mind still within the claws of a nightmare, and managed to topple out of bed, his legs twisted into the white fabric of the blanket on him. He stopped his fall with his arms, panting and sweating like crazy as he tried to shake away the remnants of his sleep and come to his senses. _What a strange dream.._ Gin thought, when he had calmed down some. He had been in a decrepit, stone walled room that was littered with many, many swords, each stabbed into the cracks in the floor. The pale silver steel of those blades glowed a sharp eerie blue, and the floor was covered in dried blood. It was like the scene of a human horror movie, because some of those blades he could recognize... the zanpakuto of people long dead. It was then that he had noticed the chains. Silver and gold, they linked and crossed and wound around his form, tugging tighter, all disappearing beyond the walls of the room. A flash of grey and scarlet, and then sweet consciousness.

The man turned boy disentangled himself from the mess of the covers, thinking about the dream when another realization hit him. Wait a second... bed? Gin whipped his head around this way and that, taking in his surroundings with an unsettled feeling in his stomach. This room was markedly different from the one in his dream, a fact that gave him some relief. It was small, for one, and made of hardwood. There was a window behind him, a desk to his right, and next to the door on the opposite side rested Shinso in its scabbard. He padded across the room and picked the wakizashi up, an almost contented sigh brushing his lips as he held it. At that moment, the knob of the door began to turn, and Gin leapt back in a flash, abruptly alert, with a ready grip on his short sword.

The door opened, spilling even more light into the room and revealing two very similar figures. They were both well muscled and tanned, and the rest of their identical features made them quite obviously twins. Only their clothes distinguished them at first glance.

"Ah! 'Tis surprising he is already awake. This one thought he'd be sleeping for a week, for sure. His condition was so weak when we found him," the one dressed in red said, with curious look alighting on his face. He had deep purple hair that was almost black, long enough to put it into a high, short pony tail. His eyes were wide and black, and he surveyed Gin with mild excitement.

"Indeed, says I. Dehydrated, trembling... so very thin. And look, even now he holds that sword close. Says I, that masterpiece is something special. Remember when we tried to pick it up?" the second twin, the one that dressed in blue, spoke evenly, his voice slightly more calm. He looked exactly the same as his brother, except his expression was thoughtful and one of slight interest.

"This one remembers quite well, for when this one went to lift it, it was surprisingly heavy! Neither this one nor that one could pick it up.. 'twas a stubbornly loyal blade, it was."

"We had to use your hand to grip it. But that's enough of that, says I, you should get something to eat."

During the whole conversation, Gin had relaxed his stance a bit and was now staring at the two men with a disgruntled expression. These people didn't seem to be malicious as he did not sense any killing intent, but what he did sense was puzzling. They had above average spiritual energy, with levels between ordinary and high, and the feel of it was beyond strange. It was.. he didn't know how to explain it very well, but it was overbearing, and even a little... greedy.

"Who are ya?" the silver haired boy asked cautiously, with a confused and twisted smile. "And where am Ah?"

The twins glanced at each other, sporting identical grins that seemed to have a mischievous undercurrent.

"Says I, where are our manners?" shrugged the blue clad one in mock despair. "I am called Kotetsu."

"This one is called Kitetsu," the red clothed one said proudly, slinging an arm over his brother's shoulders in rough affection. He used his other arm to point out the window. "And that is Kenzan Island!"

"So, mysterious boy," prompted Kotetsu, nonchalantly brushing off his brother's weight. "It is only fair that you tell us your name now too, says I. To return the favor."

"...Gin," Gin replied, cocking his head to the side. "Ma name is Gin. Ya can probably tell why, o' course." He unsheathed his wakizashi and held it at eye level, its wickedly sharp blade giving off an unearthly ringing presence. "And this be ma partner, Shinso."

"Ooh, says I, what a fitting name! Even if it_ is_ a bit girly," Kotetsu mused, his eyes glued to the sword. "And that is Shinso? A truly formidable title, says I."

"This one agrees," Kitetsu had an eager expression on his face, one that light up his already bright grin. "God Spear, huh? These ones have noticed the exceptional craftsmanship of that sword. It is one beyond ordinary skill, that it is."

"We are mighty curious, young Gin," Kotetsu said, looking shy all of a sudden. "As swordsmiths, a creation that shows skill that high a caliber is very intriguing. Says I, it is only natural we should try to improve ourselves by learning more about it... if you would so kindly oblige us..."

"Ya'll are swordsmiths, eh?" Gin shifted his gaze to look upon Shinso's naked blade, and his eyes opened a fraction, displaying a sliver of glimmering icy blue. "Ah guess Ah can tell ya a little bit. Shinso was... forged from one half of ma soul. He is not simply a tool, or an instrument o' death. We are independent, yet our existences are intertwined. Ah guess ya could call it a mutual partnership."

"...This one has a hard time understanding your words," Kitetsu said after a moment of silence, having turned over the silver haired boy's words in his head. "But at the same time, this one can grasp the basics of what you are saying. This sword has something of yourself in it, you say?"

"Says I, that is probably what makes it so beautiful," continued his blue clothed twin. "The key to it is: you are not simply making a sword... you are making something that has the ability to reflect your inner depths."

"Ah cannot claim to be knowledgeable abou' it," Gin replied, slightly surprised at their quick deduction. He decided he could bend the explanation a bit more. "But that seems ta be pretty on the spot. When ya 'create' your sword, ya are giving away a piece o' yourself, ya see."

"Hmmm, this is quite a breakthrough," Kietsu hummed, tapping his finger on a muscled arm. "Such a traditional way of thinking. This one believes it sounds quite romantic."

"I am glad to hear it explained so frankly, but to put it into practice... I am slightly skeptical," Kotetsu frowned. "It would be good to study this concept more thoroughly, says I."

"Well, this one is reminded of the current location. Kenzan Island was named so for a reason," suggested Kitetsu. "There are plenty of stories and legends floating around. These ones will just have to listen to them once more, with a wiser ear than before."

"Ah'm glad ya have a game plan," Gin smiled like a fox, sheathing Shinso and rocking back on his heels. "Pretty fast, Ah'd have ta say..."

The twins shared another conspiratorial look, and in unison leaned lower towards the smaller boy. They grinned manically, and the smaller of the three had a sudden feeling of dejavu.

"Are you thinking what this one is thinking?" Kitetsu purred.

"They do say brilliant minds think alike," his brother responded.

"In that case... this one extends to you an invitation, little Gin~!"

"If you don't have anywhere else to go, won't you stay with us?" Kotetsu said, as his twin nodded his head vigorously. "Says I, sometimes it gets lonely here, with only them Longarm tribe around... plus, like we said.. you're an okay kid."

Gin cocked his head to the side, weighing the ups and downs. For one, he didn't even know these people. He'd never heard of a place called Kenzan Island, but that's probably because he'd never payed much attention to Living World geography... furthermore, was he even still in the same world? He couldn't imagine that, after having died and apparently been reborn, still retaining his memories no less, he'd just be thrust right back into the same time period or even the same dimension. That didn't seem entirely plausible... But there were so many questions and concerns whirling about inside of his head, he didn't know quite what he planned to do at that moment. Despite his inner turmoil, his face was blank and inexpressive, there was no sign to his otherwordly mental burdens.

"It's true Ah ain't got a place ta go back ta," Gin said, with a shadow of a smirk. "Guess Ah'll be botherin' ya for a while."

And thus the snake tasted the air around it, hidden and camouflaged in the grass.

Biding its time.

Waiting to strike.


End file.
